OH201 Pete Gunn Oral History
Collection Title
Jackson Purchase Oral History Project - Kentucky Dam Project
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Series Number
OH201
Interviewee
Gunn, Pete Jr.
Interviewer
Miller, Chamonie S.
Date Interviewed
October 30th, 1995
Processed by
Benjamin J. Drake
Date Processed
February 4th, 2013
Description
2 sound discs (71 minutes)
Abstract
Pete Gunn Jr. describes his experiences while working with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) on the Kentucky Dam and the Manhattan Project at Oakridge, Tennessee. The interview contains a biographical accounting of his life and career through the late 1940s. He discusses his duties as a company messenger, training as an engineer and the interactions he had with management. Gunn covers a variety of topics including horseplay, safety, injuries and fatalities, employee relations and significant events. The interview concludes with a discussion on his time at Oakridge as part of the Manhattan Project.
Biographical/Historical Note
Pete Gunn Jr. was born on August 18th, 1920 in Winchester, Tennessee. His father moved the family to Benton, Kentucky on September 3rd, 1939 to work for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) on the Kentucky Dam. In September of 1941, he began working on the Kentucky Dam. While on the dam project, he trained as an engineer. In 1943, he worked for a shipyard in Texas and later on the Manhattan Project at Oakridge, Tennessee. He returned to Benton in 1946 and worked in the automotive and sporting goods business before joining his father-in-law in the insurance business in 1941. He was the founder and former owner of Morgan, Trevethan, and Gunn Insurance and a former elder and deacon at the Benton Church of Christ and the Briensburg Church of Christ. He died on June 9th, 2002.
General Information
No user access to original recordings. Use audio user copies, digital derivatives, transcripts, and/or tape indexes. This collection may be protected from unauthorized copying by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code). Permission for reproduction must be requested from Murray State University.
Subject Headings/Descriptors
Gunn, Pete, Jr., 1920-2002
Kentucky Dam (Ky.)
Tennessee Valley Authority.
Dams - Kentucky.
Land Between the Lakes (Ky. And Tenn.) - History.
Marshall County (Ky.)
Recommended Citation
Miller, Chamonie S., "OH201 Pete Gunn Oral History" (2025). Kentucky Dam. 11.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/oh-kendam/11
Audio Transcript